Amid all the volatility in recent weeks, Big Oil has been one of the biggest casualties, with Exxon Mobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX), BP (BP), and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA) all off more than 5% since the start of the year. Barclays’ Lydia Rainforth thinks that the pessimism is overdone. While she doesn’t see a big rebound in oil in the cards for this year, she does think there’s room for improving free cash flow, which is allowing Big Oil companies to return cash to shareholders despite commodity price doldrums.

Penguins, Royal Dutch Shell's (RDSa.L) latest oil and gas development in a remote corner of the British North Sea, epitomises the new doctrine for deepwater projects -- keep it cheap and simple. Shunned during the oil price crash of 2014-2016, deepwater projects are being embraced again, a challenge to the surge in onshore U.S. shale output. Penguins, the first new major deepwater project this year, will rejuvenate the 44-year-old field by drilling 8 new wells 165 metres (541 feet) underwater and connecting them to a new production vessel.

Penguins, Royal Dutch Shell's (RDSa.L) latest oil and gas development in a remote corner of the British North Sea, epitomises the new doctrine for deepwater projects -- keep it cheap and simple. Shunned during the oil price crash of 2014-2016, deepwater projects are being embraced again, a challenge to the surge in onshore U.S. shale output. Penguins, the first new major deepwater project this year, will rejuvenate the 44-year-old field by drilling 8 new wells 165 metres (541 feet) underwater and connecting them to a new production vessel.

Norway's finance ministry asked the central bank on Tuesday to explain what impact a potential listing of state oil giant Saudi Aramco would have on the benchmark equity index of the country's $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund. The request was made as part of public consultations on Norges Bank's proposal to drop the oil and gas sector from the fund's investments in order to reduce the risk of oil-price fluctuations. The Saudi government plans to sell about 5 percent of Aramco, hoping to raise some $100 billion or more in what would likely be the world's biggest initial public offering.

Norway's finance ministry asked the central bank on Tuesday to explain what impact a potential listing of state oil giant Saudi Aramco would have on the benchmark equity index of the country's $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund. The request was made as part of public consultations on Norges Bank's proposal to drop the oil and gas sector from the fund's investments in order to reduce the risk of oil-price fluctuations. The Saudi government plans to sell about 5 percent of Aramco, hoping to raise some $100 billion or more in what would likely be the world's biggest initial public offering.

Thailand expects to hold auctions for two gas fields this March after terms are approved, Energy Minister Siri Jirapongphan said on Friday at a seminar. The Energy Ministry and Department of Mineral Fuels will finalise the terms of the auction by the end of February and send it to the Cabinet for approval in March before the gas fields are open to bids, the minister said. "One condition is that bidders will have to maintain a combined production level in both fields of at least 1.5 billion cubic feet per day," Minister Siri said, adding that the selection process will take between five and six months.

If Chevron Corp. has caused climate change and has to pay for its damage, so should pretty much every company that’s ever explored for oil and gas near North America, as well as manufacturers of cars and ...